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silverweb

(16,402 posts)
Sun Mar 25, 2012, 12:17 AM Mar 2012

Speaking of weeds....

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Have any of you grown or eaten "little hogweed," also known as purslane? It's considered a weed in the U.S., but is widely used in companion planting and in the kitchen in other parts of the world. I also think it's rather pretty.

I have a special interest in growing common edible weeds in my container garden, along with the more usual food crops. Anticipating extreme conditions from climate change, along with the potential for famine and other disasters, it would be nice to know what weeds are edible and how to use them.

If you've eaten it and/or grown it, I'm very interested in your experience.

13 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Speaking of weeds.... (Original Post) silverweb Mar 2012 OP
Yes. Vanje Mar 2012 #1
Excellent! silverweb Mar 2012 #2
Impossible not to grow :) NEOhiodemocrat Mar 2012 #3
Good! silverweb Mar 2012 #4
Can you tell me how it is eaten? Curmudgeoness Mar 2012 #5
Heres a link to recipes Vanje Mar 2012 #6
Yum, sounds good. Thanks. nt Curmudgeoness Mar 2012 #7
You're going to enjoy it! nt Vanje Mar 2012 #8
I see someone beat me with a link for receipts! NEOhiodemocrat Mar 2012 #9
Oh, I don't have to grow it... Curmudgeoness Mar 2012 #10
I do also! NEOhiodemocrat Mar 2012 #11
Well, there is always the lowly dandelion. Curmudgeoness Mar 2012 #12
I'm not sure, but I think I have some. JDPriestly Apr 2012 #13

Vanje

(9,766 posts)
1. Yes.
Sun Mar 25, 2012, 12:25 AM
Mar 2012

Purslane is delicious.

Around here (SW Idaho) there's no reason to grow it. It is available and abundant growing naturalized in sandy soil.

Its featured in authentic Mexican cuisine.


http://www.plant.photos.net/index.php?title=Purslane

silverweb

(16,402 posts)
2. Excellent!
Sun Mar 25, 2012, 12:28 AM
Mar 2012

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]There's virtually no dirt in the city where I live and my "garden" is a fenced-in, paved driveway, so everything is in containers.

I'll have to investigate its use in Mexican food! Thanks!

NEOhiodemocrat

(912 posts)
3. Impossible not to grow :)
Sun Mar 25, 2012, 09:25 AM
Mar 2012

Didn't eat it until a friend's son-in-law from Guatamala came to see my garden and was excited to see it growing there. He said his mother used it all the tiime back home while he was growing up. Sometimes we weed out some of the best foods growing in our garden spaces. Give it a try, it is a common food in Guatamala, so won't hurt you to see if you like it. Good thing you container garden thought, as it grows like a weed!

silverweb

(16,402 posts)
4. Good!
Sun Mar 25, 2012, 01:56 PM
Mar 2012

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]This is why I'm interested in edible weeds. If "regular" crops failed or became prohibitively expensive for any reason, cultivating weeds for food would be an important backup.

I've read that golden purslane is the tastiest and that it's sweeter if harvested in the afternoon, so that's where I'm headed.

Thanks!

Curmudgeoness

(18,219 posts)
5. Can you tell me how it is eaten?
Sun Mar 25, 2012, 01:59 PM
Mar 2012

Is it cooked? If so, how? Is it used at a minor ingredient in foods, or as the main serving? Purslane is growing from every crack and crevice around here.

NEOhiodemocrat

(912 posts)
9. I see someone beat me with a link for receipts!
Sun Mar 25, 2012, 08:09 PM
Mar 2012

I basically use it as a spinach substitute. Now I am going to try some of the receipts in the link. Hope you enjoy it. It is a good spinach supbstite and easier to grow (just keep it beat back so it doesn't take over!)

Curmudgeoness

(18,219 posts)
10. Oh, I don't have to grow it...
Sun Mar 25, 2012, 08:19 PM
Mar 2012

or plan to grow it. It is a perennial pest for me---I will have plenty without any effort at all.

I love this kind of gardening!

NEOhiodemocrat

(912 posts)
11. I do also!
Mon Mar 26, 2012, 08:26 AM
Mar 2012

Let me know if you find any other intersting "weeds". We used to eat the poke (spelling?) that grew out by our garage at our first house. Neighbors thought we were strange

Curmudgeoness

(18,219 posts)
12. Well, there is always the lowly dandelion.
Mon Mar 26, 2012, 07:08 PM
Mar 2012

Don't forget about it, especially right now, before they flower---the leaves are not bitter when they are new, but can be nasty if they are old. But if you are starving, even bitter will not hurt you. And you can eat the flowers too, but remove the stem and calyx. I mix half and half leaf lettuce and young dandelion greens for salads.

Also, garlic mustard. And lamb's quarters.

Except for wild mushrooms, these are probably the only ones I use.

There are a number of edible plants and flowers (the flowers are so pretty in salads). And of course, the internet has make it so much easier for us to find them and recipes. Yum.

JDPriestly

(57,936 posts)
13. I'm not sure, but I think I have some.
Sun Apr 1, 2012, 04:42 AM
Apr 2012

Actually, I have two similar plants. One has thick leaves like a succulent. The other is a weed that grows along the ground. Both have pink flowers.

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